Southwest Airlines CEO says lack of pilots last 3 years

Southwest Airlines Co. CEO Bob Jordan said an industry-wide shortage of pilots will last for three years because of the challenges carriers face in training new aviators.

Jordan, speaking at the Bernstein Conference, said that the Dallas-based airline has about 40 planes that it currently cannot fly because of pilot constraints.

The constraint is really the ability to put them through the training center because it's full, he said.

Jefferies analysts estimate the United States is 10,000 pilots short.

American Airlines has said it has as much as 50 underused mainline jets and about 150 regional aircraft that are grounded because the company doesn't have enough trained pilots.

Jordan expects the supply of pilots to improve by the end of the year, allowing the airline to start the planes.

The company is grappling with Boeing's aircraft delivery problems, necessitating it to adjust capacity growth plans.

Southwest, one of the biggest customers of Boeing's MAX planes, expects 70 deliveries of the 737 - 8 jet this year instead of the planned 90 after the U.S. planemaker disclosed a manufacturing issue with some of the workhorse aircraft.

Southwest needs a stable jet delivery schedule to plan its capacity, Jordan said.

The biggest thing that we're working on is reflowing the order book with Boeing, so that the deliveries are steady, measured, known, we can count on them, he said.